By HFT Staff

NYU Langone Health (NYU Langone) serves the five boroughs of New York City and surrounding counties. The 3.5 million square foot medical campus in Manhattan includes 10 interconnected buildings that serve as in-patient care centers, medical offices, research laboratories, classrooms, conference rooms and residential spaces (PEER, 2018). When Superstorm Sandy made landfall in New York City in October 2012, the campus was flooded with 15 million gallons of water—up to five feet in some locations. Medical equipment, power lines, and building utilities were destroyed (Barbanel, 2016). Close to 300 patients were evacuated because of facility-wide blackouts. With no functional elevators, patients were evacuated down staircases. No lives were lost, thanks to the tireless efforts of the dedicated staff at NYU Langone and New York City emergency responders (NYU, 2017).  However, the hospital was devastated and closed its doors for almost two months.   

Although the damage was severe, it provided a valuable opportunity for NYU Langone to assess structural vulnerabilities and increase facility resilience so that staff can continue to provide high-quality patient care throughout future severe weather events.   

Superstorm Sandy prompted the NYU Langone development team to creatively rethink pre-existing plans to transform its main hospital campus in Manhattan. The team recognized that it is not sufficient to reactively manage unexpected issues as they arise during a crisis. Rather, using evidence-based design strategies that reduce exposure to natural and human-caused disasters, the original renovation plans were updated to incorporate principles of resilience, sustainability and increased energy efficiency. 

Various design strategies were implemented, including:  

• an on-site energy center that consists of a combined heat and power plant capable of utilizing natural gas or fuel oil as well as backup boilers and generators to reduce reliance on external sources; 
• medical equipment (e.g., magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed tomography (CT) machines) that are physically elevated above the level of projected flood risk to reduce the likelihood of care disruption during flooding events;  
• stormwater management (e.g., flood barriers equipped with crossover stairs to allow safe passage from one side to the other, flood pumps to remove water) and green roofs to increase water retention and slow overflow;  
• flood barriers (e.g., perimeter barriers, flood doors) to contain and compartmentalize potential hazards (e.g., rising water);  
• redundant IT systems, strategically positioned on opposite sides of the campus and elevated above the projected 500-year flood level; and  
• elevation above the level of projected flood risk of labs, building systems and other equipment crucial to research, education and patient care. 

The updated medical campus is designed to minimize environmental impact and provide first-rate patient care. Energy resilience is at the core of these objectives. By conserving energy (e.g., choosing efficient equipment, utilizing automation to setback heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) in areas that are not in use, providing training to optimize energy-efficient plant operations) and reducing reliance on the power grid, facilities are both better able to continue functioning during power outages and to reduce their contribution to climate change. The resilient design features included in the medical campus renovation have already proven effective at withstanding unexpected weather events. For instance, upgraded HEPA and MERV 13 air filters reduced patient and staff exposure to toxic particulate matter during the ambient air quality crises caused by 2023 Canadian wildfires. These efforts have led to NYU Langone becoming the first healthcare campus to receive the Performance Excellence in Electricity and Renewal (PEER) Platinum-level certification (PEER, n.d.).  

NYU Langone’s success is due to the culture of resiliency it has built, which includes its infrastructure and its people. NYU Langone conducts an annual hazard vulnerability analysis that has become a core foundation of preparedness strategy following Superstorm Sandy. The healthcare system follows the framework outlined in the Federal Emergency Management Agency National Preparedness Report, prioritizing climate hazards based on a combination of historical and prospective climate data (FEMA, 2022). The organization designed procedures to maintain operations during hazardous events after incorporating stakeholder feedback and established protocols to monitor its progress year over year. Additionally, NYU Langone developed an emergency preparedness employee training and exercise program to increase awareness and responsiveness across its facilities. The implementation of these measures has proven extremely effective in optimizing equipment use, minimizing waste and increasing operational efficiency.  

NYU Langone openly shares its knowledge and experiences with peers and colleagues. The healthcare system is forging partnerships and sharing information and resources with healthcare organizations in New York City and across the country.  

Since the reopening of its medical campus, NYU Langone has received awards and recognition for its dedication to environmental stewardship and sustainability on more recent projects. For example, the Kimmel Pavilion and Science Building were awarded the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum certification in 2019 in recognition of its energy efficient design, use of recycled materials, and innovative stormwater runoff systems (NYU Langone Health Receives Top Environmental Awards, 2019). NYU Langone’s dedication to sustainability and resilience is the cornerstone of its activities and will continue to enable it to weather new storms.